For the final time until districts, The Dalles Wahtonka had a chance to strut their stuff against Columbia River Conference foes Thursday in a varsity matchup on a cold and windy day at Indian Creek Golf Course in Hood River. Of the five Tribe participants, three ended tournament action with scores less than 100.

Freshman Bailey Ortega had the best score of the bunch with a 93, as he rebounded from a 48 on the front-nine, before finishing with a 45 for his eighth-place tally. In looking at the numbers, Smith said if the numbers kept slipping for Ortega, that there is an outside shot of earning a state berth as individual. “We have three weeks or so left in the season. If he works at it hard, he has his chance to make it there,” said TDW golf coach Kent Smith.

Nick Glesener also displayed a better performance on the back-nine with a 45 as well to notch a 98 on his scorecard. Dakota Green played out to a 49 and 50 on both ends for his 99 and teammate Coby Conlee churned out a 49 and 58 for his final mark of 107. Rounding out the Tribe front was Bobby MacLeod, who swung out to a 114.

With the top four scores, TDW added up to 397 for third place in the standings behind Hermiston (366) and tournament champion Pendleton (359). Using a 92 from former TDW golfer Dan Kuechmann, Hood River Valley combined tallies for a 497 and fourth place.

Pendleton standout Walker Hoolehan claimed medalist recognition with his top score of 82.Smith said that his coaching approach would now deal with all areas of the game, instead of a focus on one particular element, so that his players can further enjoy success. They have two chances next week to iron out the kinks. “We will look back at the total picture,” Smith said. “We have been looking at the short game from 150-yards in and we have really improved in those areas. We will get back to the basics of tee shots and fairway woods and see if we can get better all around.”

TDW plays again at 10 a.m. on Monday in Bend.

Tribe girls have three over 100.

Playing without two players, The Dalles Wahtonka had Elizabeth Peters, Jessica Riggs and Jennifer Bonham signed in for varsity golf play Thursday at Pendleton Country Club in a Columbia River Conference matchup. Peters had the best marks of her squad with a 102, while Riggs, a senior, carded a 113 on the day. Jennifer Bonham added a 134 to her list to round out the scoring summary.

The Pendleton Buckaroos had teammates Rachel Phinney and Shelby Greb motoring past the field on this day with Phinney scoring 85 for a win over Greb (86) for medalist honors. With that duo dominating, Pendleton grabbed a team title with a 391 to Hermiston’s 415. Carrie Wallace, of La Grande, had an 88 for third place and in fourth place was Kayli Miles, who notched a 93.Hermiston’s Madison Welch ended up in fifth place at 96.

On a tight course, TDW coach Dan Telles said his trio struggled with shots sailing out of bounds or landing in the rough. “It comes down to making adjustments,” Telles said. “They are working their best and are trying hard. So they are definitely putting in the effort to improve.” He maintains that both Riggs and Peters, a 2012 state qualifier, present the best opportunity for TDW to gain individual state invitations. “I feel they can make it, but at the same time, I know Hood River has a couple of girls who are playing well. Within our conference, there are about eight or nine girls that are right there between first and ninth, so it is important for us to improve our scores no matter what. I think it is possible.”